Library on track for Oct. 2
Council was presented with what Mark Fercho, chief administrative officer, called a “good news report” on the library and cultural centre, July 14.
The monthly progress report showed that there was significant work completed during the month of June and the project is still on track for an Oct. 2 opening.
Last month it was announced the project would be pushed back a month, changing its completion date from Sept. 1 to Oct. 2. The library expansion and renovation project has been wrought with errors and unforeseen issues since construction began in November 2011, delaying the project by years.
Since December, council has received monthly reports from the contractors, updating the public on the building’s progress.
Facelift for Whistlers Summit Trail
Parks Canada, the Friends of Jasper and the Jasper SkyTram have signed an agreement to begin the rehabilitation of the Whistlers Summit Trail from the top of the SkyTram to the summit of Whistlers Mountain.
The agreement lays out the roles and responsibilities of each of the parties and the groups’ shared vision for the project, explained Sue Cesco, co-manager with the Friends.
“This fall we will be looking for some people that have some leadership skills that may want to join us in actually helping to facilitate this project,” she said, explaining it will likely take two years to complete.
The aim of the restoration project is to protect the mountain's fragile alpine landscape, enhance opportunities for visitors to learn and experience the park, improve trail infrastructure, and foster public awareness about the benefits of volunteering.
The project, which will be officially unveiled at Parks Day, July 18, was made possible thanks to a $50,000 grant from Tauck Tours’ World of Giving Program.
A call for greater wilderness protection
The Canadian Parks and Wilderness Society (CPAWS) condemned the provincial and federal governments for lagging behind in protecting the province’s wilderness in its annual report published last week.
“Canada, and Alberta, are well below the 15 per cent global average, with just over 12 per cent of our land protected in this province,” stated Alison Ronson, executive director of CPAWS’ northern Alberta chapter, in the report. “Our federal, provincial and territorial governments publicly reaffirmed the goal of 17 per cent protection earlier this year, yet Alberta’s Plan for Parks remains silent on the amount of land committed to protection in Alberta.”
According to the report, 12.4 per cent of Alberta’s land is protected with almost two thirds of this protected land found in national parks.
“The new government of Alberta has an opportunity to create a lasting legacy for the province,” said Ronson in the report.
